D&D 5E Why do you use Floating ASI's (other than power gaming)? [+]

[BookTenTiger]

I have difficulty understanding how it unlocks themed parties. Could you go into how that frees you to do so?

I ask this as I played in a halfling-only campaign, and we had a fighter, ranger, magic-user (me), and two thieves. Now, this was in 1e so it's a bit of an apples to oranges comparison. But, as the Greek proverb says, "we're all fruit." Although, thinking about it, I find that I would be far more accepting of a floating ASI if everyone was playing the same race.

Here's my thoughts:

Let's say we are doing an All Halfling game. We are restricting the players to the same set of racial abilities.

Because of the way 5e is designed, the players who choose Rogues, Dex-Based Fighters, etc are going to be the most effective.

With floating ASIs, characters who want to play as Halfling Wizards, Barbarians, etc can be just as effective.

 

[Jacob Lewis]

Maybe someday everyone be willing to play an all dwarf campaign? Actually, probably not. The prejudice against short runs deep in a lot of players.

The last few times that I actually played (including 4e), it was a dwarf character. I have a type, obviously. But different class, including barbarian, wizard, bard, cleric, and (my fave) the hybrid paladin-cleric in 4e.

 

[Oofta]

The last few times that I actually played (including 4e), it was a dwarf character. I have a type, obviously. But different class, including barbarian, wizard, bard, cleric, and (my fave) the hybrid paladin-cleric in 4e.

I like to play against the grain - characters that are not run-of-the-mill. My PC was not the first dwarven wizard I've had and depending on how often I get to play, won't be the last no matter what the options are.

My first 5E PC was a dwarven rogue, so maybe you aren't the only one with a type.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Players tend to have a number of specific races/lineages that they like the idea of playing. Ingrained into a lot of players though is the idea that you should only pick a race where the stats are good for your class. Whether that is reasonable is beside the point. People believe it, often unconsciously.

Floating ASIs frees those people to pick the races they think are cool, not just the subset with good stats. Contrary to expectations we haven't seen any avalanche of Mountain Dwarves or the like (or indeed any at all).

 

[Oofta]

It lets me play a halfling wizard or a dwarven sorcerer without the indignity of starting with a +2 in my main stat.

If that doesn't bother you, fine. But for many of us, it's a nonstarter.

So ... basically optimization and power gaming.

I'm sorry, I know we're trying to make it a plus thread, but I just don't see it when the sole justification people can come up with is that they want a 16 at first level. I'm not picking on anyone in particular, but I see having a 16 instead of a 15 to start as power gaming. Maybe not to the extreme, but there it is.

I mean, I could have made my dwarf wizard without shifting anything around, but with Tasha's why would I? Tools are relatively benign, but in any game that I play if I run a dwarf again (just picking on that race because it's the only one I've done this with) I'm going to swap out weapon and potentially armor proficiencies for tools. Even if I'm playing a martial character.

The only reason I see to use the Tasha's rules is because you want race X to be more optimized for a specific class. Whether that's power gaming or not is a matter of opinion.

In any case, I'll go back to ignoring this.

 

[Minigiant]

• More character options
• Partial Negation of Unbalanced Ability Score System
• More ability to use ability score actively

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I don't care about the ASI either way. If that is what hinders someone playing a nice combo, so just change th ASI. It should be fun.
I don't like swapping all proficiencies. A single one? Why not. All of them... no thanks. Maybe if the elf lived with dwarves, they may take dwarven proficiencies and the appropriate strength. Sounds like a fun concept.

 

[Baron Opal II]

Here's my thoughts:

Let's say we are doing an All Halfling game. We are restricting the players to the same set of racial abilities.

Because of the way 5e is designed, the players who choose Rogues, Dex-Based Fighters, etc are going to be the most effective.

With floating ASIs, characters who want to play as Halfling Wizards, Barbarians, etc can be just as effective.

Thanks for your response, I appreciate it.

 

[ReshiIRE]

A variety of reasons:

1) Yes, there is the factor of being able to have a +3 in a starting stat so I can actually maybe think of getting an interesting feat later on without restricting myself to certain ancestory and class combinations etc. etc.
2. 5e has no other potential rules to apply downsides in exchange for having more control over your character's modifeirs etc.
3) The PCs are highly varied people different from the norm, and in general won't fit into a neat box provided by a fixed ASIs determined by their ancestory.
4) If there is anything I have learned in life, intelligence creatures apart of the same species - such as us - are going to be so varied, so wildly different... that any other intelligent species would be similar. And I don't think that is properly represented by fixed, minor pluses and minuses.
5) The features of ancestories themselves provide significantly more differentation besides a minus number or plus number there. Whether floating ASI or fixed ASI, a Kobold Cleric wanting to maximise their features is going to play significantly differently than an Elven Cleric maximising theirs.
6) From a GM point of view, I have the view it will generally mean that I won't have to worry about there being a distinct different between the effectiveness of characters, no matter how small, based on what ancestory they chose.

 

[TwoSix]

So ... basically optimization and power gaming.

I'm sorry, I know we're trying to make it a plus thread, but I just don't see it when the sole justification people can come up with is that they want a 16 at first level. I'm not picking on anyone in particular, but I see having a 16 instead of a 15 to start as power gaming. Maybe not to the extreme, but there it is.

I’m not going to pretend it isn’t for power gaming, and certainly not going to apologize for it. It’s a legitimate motivation for play.